Cage Cleaning, Deodorizing, and Disinfecting

[Moon]

I've been battling a round of the flu lately. I need to disinfect my cages as a matter of course. Normally I use either Dawn dish soap (burns my hands though) or I use Ajax dish soap for this step. Plain cleaning I use water. I've seen some people mention vinegar, baking soda, bleach, and other things.

I also follow a step where I'll clean a cage, leave it under the sun for two or three days in good weather, rinse it clean again, pat dry, and restore to use. I have SEVERAL cages that I rotate except for the one my female is in. She's settled down with a male finally and has eggs showing up.

But the question is this: Is bleach safe? Vinegar? What kind of soap is best? I really do prefer the Ajax dish detergent, but is it best for the birds?

[lem2bert]

Moon

When I clean my cages I use disposable rubber gloves. My hands are in water throughout the day so I keep a lot of gloves handy . If you like using dawn and it bothers your hands maybe the rubber gloves would help . Just a suggestion .

[Barbara]

Moon I think what Betty says is a good Idea I also use just dawn only the orginal one not the other scents and colors,The one that is safe for wildlife.I think what you are using and even bleach or vinegar is safe as long as birds aren't in the cage and you clean them outside(or in another room) rinse well and drying in the sun is also a good idea.All my cages are to big to come out of the room or catch birds every day,that is why I use dawn with hot water and a cloth to wipe down inside and outside of cage( I dont even rise )one side at a time birds just seem to fly to the other side.take out all poop fake greenery put clean ones in.then on to the next.what works for you is all that matters

[Icearstorm]

Moon
I'm not sure about dish soap, but bleach should be safe as long as it is rinsed off and given some time to dry; rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar can also be used with a few precautions. I prefer vinegar since it does not seem to be dangerous, but have also used alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. With alcohol, I would advise using it no closer than five feet away from birds, as the fumes travel quite far and can irritate mucous membranes. I have used it within two feet of them without harm, but the risk was too high for my liking. Hydrogen peroxide is good for disinfecting water dishes and other surfaces with unwanted protein. It will usually foam up a little bit if it is working. Just rinse the area a few times after use to make sure little of it is left, as it can produce a burning sensation if concentrated (normal hydrogen peroxide you'd buy has a concentration of 2-3%, which is not very harmful). I have used vinegar on a cage while my birds were in it, and no one seemed bothered, though it did smell strongly of pickles for about half an hour.
How often do you disinfect the cages? If everything stays dry, then simply removing the waste and chipping poop off the perches should be fine for a month (conservative estimate). It's moisture that poses the most risk. If you are using sand, sift it out every few days and spray the substrate with vinegar every month or so and you shouldn't have a problem. It's most likely best to keep everything in pristine condition, but if it is impractical, spending several weeks only switching out the food and water should be just fine.

[wildbird]

I mix some white vinegar and hot water with Dawn dish soap to wash the cages. Then rinse well, dry with paper towels and set out in the sun for a half hour or so.

[Vera]

When you say Dawn dish soap do you mean the Blue version?

[Barbara]

Vera yes that is the one to use it usually has a baby duck on it that is the one they use to get the oil off the baby animals that suffer thru man's oils spill.save to use while birds are in the cage too I have always wiped my cages down with this in hot water with birds in the cage.wash wipe out I don't rinse.has always worked for me no health problems

[Phocid]

I scrub with antibacterial Dawn, then spray with dilute chlorhexidine to disinfect. When I have a bird in quarantine I use bleach, but I'm looking into switching to Simple Green.

For day-to-day cleanup, I use Dawn on dishes, perches, etc., and spot clean cages with a paper towel dipped in chlorhexidine.

[pjohn]

I use Vernon
When I had air sac mites